News
Brad Bell chats on B&B's new opening, a Spencer preview & reality-soap hybrid!


Photo Credit: JPI Studios
Earlier this week, On-Air On-Soaps caught up with the executive producer and head writer of The Bold and the Beautiful during the series 6000th episode milestone celebration. Bell, who along with his creative team have won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for two years running, look to be one of the odds-on favorites for a nomination going into this year’s competition with their new storytelling process of blurring the lines of reality drama, as they have successfully done with the homeless story and the lung cancer storyline.
Bell gave us his thoughts on the changes made to the new and exciting opening title sequence – fashion runway theme- debuting to audiences on February 21st, where his story focus is going to be as we move out of winter and into the beginning of Spring, and his success with socially relevant topics in the new B&B way of storytelling on soaps. Here’s our “quickie” chat with Brad!
So what did you think of the new opening? Is everything you had set out for it to be? And, how did the whole concept come about?
BRAD: I love it and we are going to be tweaking it before we air it. It is high-def and computer generated. We were working with CBS Digital and saw their Dancing with the Stars opening, and I got sick of looking at the current one, which I like, but it has been six and half years! And with this renewal from CBS, we really wanted to celebrate and say, “We are not on our way out. We are reinventing ourselves.” We take the audience’s time as very valuable and very seriously. So instead of looking at the same thing everyday that is mind-numbing, we thought, why not make it a little more interesting!
Are we going to continue to see B&B blur the lines of reality and daytime drama…as you have done with the homeless storyline and now with the lung cancer story? Will a new social issue be presented on the series every quarter of the year?
BRAD: I would not say we would do a social issue every quarter, but it is something we are going to continue doing, which is this style of keeping our characters in character and bringing in real people. It’s like a hybrid of reality and real daytime drama. That is our technique, and we are going to continue it subtly. We understand our primary purpose is to entertain, but if we can sneak in a little information and education on important topics that seem to fit organically within the show, we are going to do it.

Photo Credit: JPI Studios
The 6000th episode that aired this week… are you very, very proud of it?
BRAD: I am very proud of it, and this is why we made it the 6000th episode. We knew it being the 6000th episode would bring a spotlight to it. It is saying we are a different production company and an evolving production company, and we are proud of it and proud of who we are. It’s very exciting!
What can fans of B&B look forward to as we move into spring?
BRAD: I am very excited about the Spencer family right now. I think Amber with her n’er-do-well mother, Tawny, are bringing that life and energy and humor and plot that comes with these characters. I am excited about seeing her interact with Liam. I think they are going to be a dynamic duo as the plot unravels. Also, we have Jacqui MacInnes Wood back and she is going to have her eyes on Bill Spencer. So Heather Tom’s “Katie” is going to have a rival! I feel very confident handing Heather the ball, because she delivers. It’s cool, because the Spencer family is now part of the fabric of the show. Don Diamont has done such a great job and they will all be something to watch in the coming months.
Will you continue to tell Stephanie’s lung cancer story?
BRAD: We have to continue to tell the lung cancer story with Stephanie, because Kathryn Joosten calls me and pesters me all the time! (Laughs) She is an amazing advocate for awareness for lung cancer. We are committed to Stephanie’s cancer, and doing as honest and a real a portrayal as we can.
For more coverage and interviews from B&B’s 6000th episode celebration, check out On-Air On-Soaps setside report and photo gallery here. And, interviews with Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) here, and Jack Wagner (Nick) here.
General Hospital
General Hospital Preemptions This Week for MLB Wild Card Playoff Games

This week, General Hospital will be preempted on Tuesday, October 4 and Wednesday, October 5, and potentially again on Thursday October 6, due to Major League Baseball’s wild card playoff games airing on ABC.
In the best of 3 games, the Texas Rangers face the Tampa Bay Rays in an American League wild card series, starting on Tuesday with a 3:08PM EST start time. If the series goes a full three games, then Thursday’s GH will also be preempted.
Encore episodes of GH will be seen on the east coast on Tuesday and Wednesday, while all other time zones will be preempted for the game.

Photo: MLB
In addition, GH will not be streaming the episodes on Hulu or ABC.com as is it a nationwide preemption. That way, everyone will begin to see the all-new episodes on the same day when they resume.

Photo: ABC
Hopefully, Thursday, GH will resume with an episode that teases: Spencer and Trina affirm their feelings, Tracy has a slip of the tongue, Valentin surprises Anna, and Sasha is in danger.
So, going to miss GH for the next few days? Comment below.
General Hospital
Gregory Harrison Talks His General Hospital ALS Storyline, Battling Addiction, ‘Falcon Crest’ on Maurice Benard’s ‘State of Mind’

Film and TV star, Gregory Harrison is currently appearing on ABC’s General Hospital in the role of Gregory Chase. In story, Gregory is trying to come to the terms with the fact he has ALS and is now displaying symptoms of the disease that will ultimately claim his life.
On the latest episode of Maurice Benard’s (Sonny, General Hospital) You Tube series State of Mind, the actor opens up about the challenges of playing a character with ALS, how he has battled addiction, his prime role on Trapper John M.D and Falcon Crest and much more.
In fact, it’s actually the the 40th anniversary of Harrison’s solo TV Guide cover as Dr. George Alonzo “Gonzo” Gates on Trapper John, M.D.

Photo: ABC
Speaking on his General Hospital storyline, and Gregory Chase’s battle with ALS, Harrison detailed: “He’s a complicated character any way, but we’ve added now ALS into the equation and that’s a really fun technical calibration for me. It’s a relatively quick demise – three to five years, generally for ALS, and it moves along pretty quickly. The body deteriorates pretty quickly and things happen, and there is an emotional kind of reaction to those that my character has. My character reacts to the loss of things and that’s what I am starting to be able to play.”
Harrison added, on how he is playing the nuances of ALS in the scripts he is given, “Where am I going to put in that slip and fall? Where am I going to put in that tremor in my hand? Where I am going to put in the stumble, or the slur of this word or that word? That’s real technical stuff, but I have to layer that on top of emotional honesty of what’s going on. So, for me, it’s a buffet and I love that.”
Benard and Harrison also delved into the fact that Gregory he has been sober for 36 years. Harrison opened about how addiction changed his personality at a time when his career was riding high: “If I was the kind of person who would be regretful, then I would say that during my prime, I was busy using all my acting skills to disguise my addiction instead of building my career. ”

Photo: ABC
As his fame rose, Harrison also started his own production company. He admitted to Benard, that at the time, he was barely getting through jobs and projects: “I could act, but I wasn’t doing as good as I should have been doing. I was just persevering … pouring massive amounts of energy into enduring my addiction … not into the creative artist that I was inspired to be. And then I found my way back.” At one point, Harrison sought help at the renowned Betty Ford Center. Gregory shared that he had to hit rock bottom, in order to build himself back up again.
At the conclusion of the episode, Maurice asked Gregory how he enjoyed being part of the cast of the defunct CBS primetime soap, Falcon Crest, to which Harrison said he loved playing the role of Michael Sharp back in 1990. He compared that character to the likes of Port Charles’ Sonny Corinthos.
Check out Maurice and Gregory’s conversation below.
Let us know, are you emotional invested and enjoying Gregory Harrison’s portrayal of the ALS storyline on General Hospital? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
AEW
Adam Copeland, Former WWE Superstar, Joins AEW in Climatic Moment at ‘WrestleDream’

In what was a stunning moment, but one that was highly-talked about since Adam Copeland did not resign his contract with the WWE, the Hall of Famer formerly known as “Edge”, jumped to the competition and AEW!
Copeland’s debut happened in dramatic fashion during the closing moment of AEW’s WrestleDream pay-per-view on Sunday; emanating from Seattle, Washington’s Climate Pledge Arena.
In the main event, Christian Cage and hometown favorite, Darby Allin, fought two out of three falls for the AEW TNT Championship. In the end, and after a brutal match which also featured a shocking heel turn by Nick Wayne, Cage retained his title.

Courtesy/AEW
Wayne, who was Allin’s protégé and at ringside, double-crossed his friend and aligned with Cage. At this point, Cage, Wayne and Luchasaurus beat down Allin post-match.
When Sting arrived on the scene to help Allin, Cage was going to deliver a con-chair-to to the living legend. However, the arena went dark, a video played and Copeland’s iconic theme music hit. The crowd went nuts as Copeland headed to the ring and confronted his former WWE tag partner and friend Christian Cage. While Cage and Copeland did not come to blows, Adam made the save and delivered chair shots and spears to Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne, before clearing the ring.
After his arrival, Copeland took to social media to clarify his move to AEW and his exit from WWE. The Rated-R Superstar expressed: “As some of you may now know, I’m no longer with WWE. My new home is AEW. I’m excited. Whole new roster. Some familiar faces that I wanted to work with again and a whole set of first ever matches. New challenges, and if you’ve followed my career, you know that’s what I’ve always been driven by. But first and foremost I want to address my 25 years with WWE. I love WWE and appreciate everything the company did for me. Always have, always will. They put me on the map, gave me amazing opportunities and through hard work on both ends, I’ve been supplied with a wonderful life. Hell, WWE helped me meet the woman I’d start my family with. Sometimes relationships just grow apart and I feel the WWE and I have just outgrown each other. I wanted to do more. They didn’t have much more for me to do. Simple as that. And that’s ok. I’ll still be watching and still be supporting all of my friends there. ”
Continuing his statement, Copeland added, “I don’t buy into this odd mentality of one company or the other. It’s weird. If you took offense to that, take a walk, get some fresh air and soak up some sunshine. It’s wrestling. An amazing gig. But still, it’s wrestling. Relax. It’s supposed to be fun. And it’s just a segment of the fans, not most fans, and definitely not the performers. Within the industry we all know that more choices is better for everyone and pushes us all to be better. As a wrestling fan, which I still am, it’s exciting that there’s viable companies providing wrestling on national and worldwide platforms. If you’re actually a fan of wrestling, and not acronyms, that should make you happy too. I guess what I’m trying to say is this, if you’ve appreciated my work, you still can, no matter what the initials are. Because I’ll still be bustin my ass everytime I’m out there. This ride isn’t over just yet. Just try to have fun, like it should be. Because trust me I’ll be having fun everytime I’m out there in an AEW ring. Let’s go!”
After WrestleDream, Copeland led off the AEW post-show media scrum where he fielded some questions from the press and the plans for his arrival in the organization. According to AEW Owner, Tony Khan, Adam is on board to wrestle weekly on AEW programming starting with Wednesday night’s AEW Dynamite fourth anniversary show. The Rated-R Superstar will face Luchasaurus.

Courtesy/AEW
Adam shared in the press scrum what led to his decision to sign with AEW: “Part of coming here is that I wanted to contribute. I wanted to help, and I just felt like here, I’d really be able to do that and have the opportunity to do that. I look at an entire fresh roster of faces and so many talent that I’ve never laid hands on before. That to me, as a person who’s driven by challenges, that for me was the biggest thing.”
So, what do you think of Edge aka Adam Copeland coming to AEW and joining their roster? What did you think of the end of Sunday’s WrestleDream PPV? Comment below.
-
General HospitalSeptember 27, 2023
Kristen Vaganos Is New Molly Recast on General Hospital
-
NewsSeptember 25, 2023
Hayley Erin Talks On Her Second Chance to Return to The Young and the Restless
-
General HospitalSeptember 28, 2023
Rena Sofer on Her General Hospital Comeback as Lois Cerullo: “She’s Still Loud and She’s Still Mouthy”
-
General HospitalSeptember 30, 2023
Kelly Monaco Celebrates 20 Years on GH and Sam’s Evolution: “All the Pieces Don’t Fit Perfectly Yet, But It’s Certainly Not Broken Anymore!”
-
NewsSeptember 27, 2023
Tricia Cast Returning to The Young and the Restless
-
General HospitalSeptember 23, 2023
General Hospital Alum Richard Simmons ‘Not Interested’ In Biopic with Pauly Shore Portraying Him
Well,well, Brad Bell gives out some tidbits of what the show has comming up this spring. What caught my eye was Dollar Bill and Steffy. Brad had made a believer out of me that he has no respect for children/women/ or families.
This no-writer made his character of Brooke a career bed hopping Forrester slut with a couple of son in laws and plenty of baby mama drama to boot and now trying to make her into a Saint. Not before having her hike her leg up and screwing her teenage daughter’s ex-boyfriend, against the wall like a $2.00 whore.
But what has me wondering is how can you give Brooke and Ridge a son, RJ, and never use him? Brad make Brooke and Ridge a joke. He got Hopeless trying to become the next Brooke by staying glued to Bill’s rat face looking(Liam) hamster. She had a full paid scholarship for college, but she had to have Ollie Oil. Nobody is working except tryng to look down on Amber, when all of them including Hopeless are no better.
Brad Bell . too bad you don’t have what made your Father and Mother two of the best writer’s on the planet.
Wow! It sounds like you’re really hooked on the show. It’s definitely the show you love to hate. What fun would it be to watch a show where you agreed with everything?
Brad Bell, I got to be fair. You are trying some what to take the show in a more positive direction. Stephanie and Nick’s lung cases were Real eye opener for a lot of people. They both are on point with their action of how illness effect the entire family.
The homeless needed to be address but just giving Dayzee the spotlight make it look kind of pointless when there is so many other people that are still in need of help. Then to get rid of Marcus so that you can hook up Thomas and Dayzee turn me off. I am a black woman and feel that it was bad enough the way you did Marcus Father when he came to town. Donna, who kept the news from him all these years, who I have watch this show from the start and never heard of him. Letting Eric adopt Marcus and treating his real Father like dirt, and years later, him and Donna are so in love . That’s bull shi!.
And the Amber mess with the nasty trailer makes you look like a big hater for poor people.
I disagree with you about Dayzee and Marcus. What you don’t realize is that Bell is doing Dayzee’s portrayer, Kristolyn Lloyd, a huge complement. He’s positioning her into a classic love triangle with Thomas and Marcus. Bell is trying to integrate Dayzee into the fabric of the show by having her involved with two Forrester men. Triangles are what make soap characters interesting.
As for Marcus, the actor who portrays him, Texas Battle, like the actress who portrays Steffy, has side projects outside B&B, like feature films and takes breaks from the show. Bell incorporates these breaks into the show.
As an African-American woman, I get what the previous poster is saying. It’s great to see relationships irregardless of color, but that is not the real world. We also want to see an honest depiction of Black on Black love, which is rare in Daytime. And the scenes beween Thomas & Dayzee looked forced. There is no chemistry between the two. Now Amber & Marcus; there is definitely chemistry between those two! If Bell & the other writers really want to show scandal & punch to this storyline, let the baby turn out to be Marcus’ & then reveal a shocking twist – that Marcus & Amber planned this scam all along, & that Marcus is NOT Justin & Donna’s biological child. Was there ever a DNA test done to prove it? Perhaps Owen knew about it? Remember, Owen & Marcus entered the show together. Perhaps they were grifters scamming both the Forresters & Marones all along! What a hell of a twist THAT would be!
So Steffy is back and has not grown up yet. Steffy is written to be such trash. If Steffy is supposed to be exciting and daring, she is coming across as trashy, immature and nutty. Why not give her a man closer to her level of immaturity? Steffy is fits in the teen line with Liam, Hope and Oliver.
Why call Steffy trashy when every since Brooke hooked up with Ridge that’s all the show has been about, Brooke do the entire Forrester family and the Logan girls sex romps.
Brooke was a grown woman when she hiked her leg up to screw during her daughter’s Graduation. If you want to call someone trashy, be sure to include Donna/Katye/Dollar Bill/Ridge/Owen/Nick/ and the rest of the crew who think it’s all right to have sex on the job. I would like to see some good Fashion Shows.
You guys sound kinda crazy…LOL